Reflect on your reactions to the main characters in To Kill A Mockingbird - Scout, Atticus, Jem, Bill, Calpurnia, Tom Robinson, Mayella Ewell, Bob Ewell, and Boo Radley. Which of these did you find most likeable? Least likeable? Did any of the characters have some qualities you sympathized with and other qualities you didn't like? Jot down the likeable and unlikeable aspects of each of the characters, and compare your impressions and reasons for them with the responses of your classmates.
Literary characters are considered to be "flat" when they are presented by the author as one-sided and unchanging, behaving in ways that are predictable. Characters are considered "round" when they are depicted as having greater complexity and depth, some weaknesses and some strengths, and a wide range of human emotions. Which characters in the Harper Lee novel struck you as being more "flat" or more "round"? Why might an author create flat characters in a given work? Are the minor characters in To Kill A Mockingbird - e.g. Miss Maudie, Calpurnia, Aunt Alexandra, Miss Fisher (the schoolteacher), Nathan Radley, Mrs. Dubose, Mr. Cunningham, Sheriff Tate, and others - one dimensional, or do some have "round" qualities?
An important part of the novel is Harper Lee's characterization of the three children - Scout, Jem, and Dill, who gain life experiences and mature as they face different problems and interact with the adults in the novel. Think about your childhood and the way you viewed the other children and the adults in your environment. Discuss how your impressions of people changed or did not change as you gained experience and came to know people better over the years.
Many of the characters in the novel are depicted by the author as classifying each other according to rigid categories. They hold stereotypes about how individuals will behave as a result of their age, gender, race, social status, and other fixed categories. Which characters are the victims of stereotyping? Do any of them break through the behavior expected of them, showing individuality and exposing the falseness of narrowly labeling people?
TKAM Story Elements
TKAM Characters
Character Activities